


Man Overboard

by 0Rocky41_7



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-11
Updated: 2013-04-11
Packaged: 2017-12-08 03:58:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/756785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0Rocky41_7/pseuds/0Rocky41_7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seventeen year old Liam goes sailing with friends and gets caught out in a storm, only to realize that perhaps, he is not quite human. Cue the arrival of his father, who's been missing since Liam was an infant. (Use of Celtic pantheon and mythology rather than Greek)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Man Overboard

“Och! Patrick! Watch where you’re stepping!” Liam called absently to his little brother’s friend. The two boys had begged Liam to take them down to the beach to play around and he had obliged, despite the cloudy weather. It was always cloudy in county Cork.

                “Finian, look! There’s a fish!” Patrick cried, pointing down at the water. Liam’s brother Finian scrambled over to his friend to see the fish. The problem with the ocean off the coast of Ireland was that it was too cold for many animals or plants to live. Most often the water was as dark and cloudy as the sky.

                Shoving his hands into his coat pockets, Liam started off down the beach, keeping the sounds of his charges in the back of his mind. He loved the chill of the wind on his cheeks. Absently, he started to compose a poem in his mind. Something about the love of Ireland and the wind…they must, as it was so windy here. Perhaps it was the wind trying to blow away Ireland’s many sorrows.

                Liam didn’t tell anyone he wrote poetry except Aoife. His youngest sister understood and listened-she even gave him feedback on it. His mother didn’t have time-what with four kids on her hands and his father as absent as the money in their bank account. Well, Liam’s father anyway. Aoife, Finian and Kagen were triplets, born of some scumbag who’d left their mother in the dirt. Liam still burned with anger-he knew if he ever saw that man again, he’d make him sorry for ever showing his face at their house.

                “Ai, Liam!” a voice called. Liam jerked himself free of his dark thoughts and turned to see, with a leap of his heart, Keeley O’Conner and her friend Shae walking towards him. The wind blew Keeley’s honey blonde locks across her body, framing her face. Liam had to fight to find his voice.

                “Hey Keeley!” he responded, waving a hand. He felt his cheeks heat up. Keeley and Shae caught up to him.

                “What are you doing down here?” Keeley asked with a bright smile.

                “Ah…just, uh, taking me brother and his friend down to the beach,” Liam admitted, running a hand through his short red hair and looking at his shoes. “You?”

                “We came to take me brother’s boat out! But he wouldn’t get it off the car for us and it’s too heavy for Shae and I. So we thought we’d just take a walk,” Keeley said.

                “Hey Liam! You could get it down for us,” Shae said eagerly. “The three of us could manage for sure!”

                “You could come with us!” Keeley added.

                “I don’t know…” Liam said, shuffling his feet. “It looks awful stormy out, Keeley. And I have to watch Patrick and Finian…”

                “There’s room for all of us! Please, Liam?” Keeley begged, her ocean blue eyes piercing Liam’s resolve like a pin.

                “Sure,” he said feebly. _Idiot!_ He scolded himself. _It’s too stormy for a ride out on the ocean! What if something happens?_ But another part of him easily dismissed his mother’s warnings-parents were always too worried.

                So he yelled at Patrick and Finian to stay put and trudged up to the parking lot with Keeley and Shae. The boat was quite heavy-it looked hand carved-but the three teens managed to get it down without crushing anyone. Patrick and Finian appeared nearby, wondering what was going on.

                “Get the oars, would you?” Liam grunted, hefting the bow of the boat. The two little boys nodded and fetched an oar each.

                Huffing and puffing they carried the boat down to the water’s edge. It looked rather small to Liam, but the five of them managed to stuff themselves into it and push off.

                “This is fun!” chirped Finian. “I love being out on the water!” He and Patrick shared an oar while the other rotated between Liam, Keeley and Shae. Liam flicked troubled brown eyes up to the skies, wondering if they’d been as dark a few minutes ago.

                “Brr! It’s chilly,” Shae said, rubbing her arms.

                “It looks like rain,” Liam said distantly, gazing out at the horizon.

                “Are you alright, Liam? You seem distracted,” Keeley said. Liam snapped his eyes over to her-she sat right across from him, their knees touching.

                “I’m fine,” he said hoarsely. “Just tired is all.”

                They paddled around a while longer, mostly going in circles and being pulled out towards sea. Liam began to feel uneasy-they were too far from shore for his liking and the sea seemed to be churning faster and faster beneath them. All at once, the clouds broke and rain began to pour down on them. Shae shrieked and Keeley swore. Liam was surprised to hear a dirty word from her mouth-she seemed perfect to him.

                “Paddle back to shore!” he ordered the boys. He took the other paddle from Keeley and started to row back. The rain was coming down in sheets and seeing became a near impossible task. Suddenly, Liam realized-with a cold feeling in his gut-he couldn’t tell if they were paddling towards shore or away. “Stop!” he shouted. “Can anyone tell which way shore is?”

                “No.” Finian’s voice sounded small.

                “Me neither,” Keeley said, shaking.

                “I think we should wait it out,” Liam said uncertainly. “I mean…it’d be worse it we paddle towards the sea, right?”

                The others nodded slowly.

                “But then the sea will just carry us out!” Shae cried.

                The kids didn’t have much time to worry about it-the waves, which had been steadily growing in size, finally succeeded in turning the boat over. Screams pierced the air as the five were turned into the icy Irish sea. Liam’s head went under and pain shot through his head-the water was far too cold. He floundered around, managing to make it back to the surface. He raised his head, gasping for breath. Someone was still screaming.

                “Shut up, Patrick!” he panted. The child ceased, his brown curls plastered to his head.

                “What do we do?” Shae cried.

                “How should I know?” Keeley replied, her eyes massive with fear. Another wave crashed over them, filling their mouths and lungs with water. Liam was pushed under again, his chest screaming for oxygen. Distantly, he could hear Keeley and Finian howling again. Anger surged through him-he wasn’t going to die, not like this! And he wasn’t going to let Keeley or Finian die either!

                Warmth started to spread through his body. To his amazement, his clothes felt dry. A massive wave swelled beneath them, gathering them up in its girth. The others were screaming again, but Liam was in shock. The anger drained away and almost immediately, the wave stopped its growth. It slammed into the water, pushing the kids under the water again.

                Liam flailed around and felt sand under his foot. Sand! He pushed off and broke the surface. They were closer to shore, he was sure of it!

                “Everyone get over here!” he bellowed. Keeley and Patrick swam over, followed after a few moments by Finian.

                “Where’s Shae?” Keeley wailed.

                “Wait here,” Liam ordered. He started to swim out, looking for a black head somewhere in the water. His eyes caught a flash of purple and he dove under the water, grabbing onto Shae’s jacket. He dragged her back over to the others, his muscles screaming in protest. Not sure exactly what he was doing, Liam wrapped his arms around the group and focused on his desire to keep them save.

                _Oh, God save us,_ he prayed.

                He felt them start to move and his eyes flew open in surprise. They were shooting towards shore. Liam didn’t have the energy to wonder what was going on-he just knew he wanted them to keep moving. At last the ocean coughed them up on shore. They collapsed in the wet sand, drained of energy.

                “Keeley! Keeley!” A voice broke into their exhaustion.

                “Killian?” Keeley wearily raised her head. Her brother, trailed by Shae’s mother, came charging down the beach towards them.

                “Thank God!” he exclaimed, falling on his knees beside Keeley. “Keeley, I told you not to take the boat out!” Killian growled, shaking her. “What’s wrong with you? D’ya want to die?”

                “I’m sorry Killian,” she sobbed.

                “It’s not her fault,” Liam gasped. “I took the boat down for them.”

                Killian towered over him, even kneeling. “Are you soft in the head?”

                “Liam saved us!” Finian boasted, shivering.

                “We need to get them out of the rain now!” Shae’s mother cried, holding her unconscious daughter in her arms. Killian agreed and they gathered everyone up to move.

                They showered and got fresh clothing at the O’Conner’s. Shae’s mother took her to the hospital, to make sure she was alright. Liam called his mother, got a long lecture, and assured her everyone was alright. At last, Liam took Finian and told Keeley’s father he should get home. Keeley caught up with him at the door.

                “You were great out there, Liam,” she said softly. Her wet eyelashes were clumped together, Liam noted.

                “I-I don’t even really know what I did,” Liam replied.

                “Well, I’m grateful no matter what,” she said. She leaned up and kissed his cheek before vanishing back into the house. Blushing so furiously he was sure his freckles were now invisible, Liam trotted down the path towards home. Finian was already well on his way.

                As he shuffled towards the house, Liam became aware of eyes watching him. He looked up and saw a wild-looking man standing by the side of the road. He had curly black hair falling halfway down his back, moody sea-green eyes and pale skin. He wore a strange greenish robe that was open at the chest and only came down to his knees. In one hand, he held a kind of spear. Liam slowed his walk, but kept onwards.

                “Liam McClure,” boomed the man when he got closer. Liam nearly jumped out of his skin.

                “Who the hell are you?” he demanded, shaking.

                “I am Lir,” the man said. “And you are my son.”

                “Huh?”

                “You are my son,” Lir repeated. “You didn’t really think you could have accomplished that feat out there in the ocean if you were not my kin, did you?”

                “In the ocean?” Liam repeated, feeling like an idiot. “What are you talking about?”

                “The wave! The currents!” Lir growled impatiently. “You did that!” Muscle rippled beneath his ghostly pale skin.

                “Me?” Liam squeaked. “How?”

                “Because you’re the son of a bloody sea god, that’s why!” Lir roared. “What the devil do you think? Don’t any mortals know anything these days?”

                Liam wanted to ask what he meant by a sea god, but he was too afraid to ask. “Why are you telling me this?” he asked quietly.

                “Because you need to learn,” Lir snapped. “Go to Camp Half-blood. It’s out in the country,” he added, seeing Liam open his mouth to ask. “Your mother might know.”

                “If you’re my dad…” Liam began hesitantly.

                “Liam,” Lir began, closing his eyes tiredly. “I realize that your life has not been the easiest. But I do not have time to muddle around with mortals. I am very busy.”

                “You found time enough to muddle around with my mom!” Liam shouted, finding his voice in anger. Lir sighed.

                “A mistake,” he said softly. “I should not have…become involved…we have not…for many centuries…Irish demigods are very rare,” he told Liam. “For a good reason. They have been twice as persecuted.”

                “Why?” Liam asked, his temper cooling.

                “Because of the English,” Lir said in a low, dangerous voice. “They didn’t want any powerful Irish around to fight them. All demigods, once discovered or even suspected, were killed on sight and often in terrible ways.” Liam paled. “But things are slightly better nowadays…Liam, I have to go. Go to Camp Half-blood. It will be good for you.” There was a flash of aqua blue light and Lir was gone.

                Liam stared at the spot for a moment. The boat, Keeley’s kiss, Lir…

                “Och, what a day,” Liam sighed, running a hand through his hair. He needed to talk to his mom…

 


End file.
